Method of manufacturing strips of continuously-connected gem-settings.



W. WHYTOCK, Jn. METHOD OF MANUFACTURING STRIPS 0P GON'IINUOUSLY CONNECTED GEM SETTINGS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2'7. 1008.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

villi/fi FIG. 9-. W/

T/JEESE FIE-1.7. [515.5,

WILLIAM WHY'IOCK, JR., 0! PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING STRIPS OF CONTINUOUSLY-CONNECTED GEM-SETTINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1910.

Application filed November 27, 1808. Serial No. 464,792.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WHYTOCK, Jr., a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Methods of Manufacturing trips of Continuousl Connected Gem-Settings, of which the ollowin is a specification.

n the production of strips or continuous lengths of uniformly spaced gem-settin s from bendable stock, as for example, thin rolled plate, it has heretofore been usual, so far as I am aware, to employ two or more sets of cutters and punches for erforating and cutting away the waste stool in a stepby-step manner thereby leaving the setting blanks united by narrow alining ties, the blanks being cupped or shaped by suitable tools working in unison with the punches, &c. An objection to such former processes is that the cost of production is comparatively large owing to the small and delicate punches and cutters necessarily required for perforatin the stock, and also the added liability of breakage and repairs. Another inherent disadvantage is that the action of the tools in cutting away the waste stock produces and leaves a slight bur or roughness on the then underside of the outer ed e of the blanks. In transforming the blan s into the cupped or completely shaped roduct the said burred edges will then be ound on the outer surface of the upper edge of the settings, thereby materially affecting the finish, appearance and value of the product.

The objects I have in view are to completely overcome the disadvantages just referred to.

To that end my improvement consists in cutting the connected blanks from the stock, the waste being simply two continuous marginal strips, thereby leaving the bur, usually present in any cutting and punching opera tion of this class, on the upper edge of the blanks. In transforming t e latter into the connected cup-shaped settings by the shaping die or tools the burred edges will lie on the inner or unexposed surfaces of the upper edges of the product, thus presenting a smooth and finished appearance, the tools employed being strong and durable.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings illustrating means for carrying out my improved process of making continuous gemsettings from strips of bendable sheet-metal stock, Figure 1 represents a top plan view of a short piece of stock as having been acted upon by the cutters, forming tools, &c., portions of the waste stock being removed. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the two corres onding strips of waste stock connected to t e parent strip, the connected or continuous length of blanks and settings being omitted. Fig. 3 is a lon itudinal sectional v1ew taken on line 3 3 of ig. 1, and showing in addition tools and means for feeding, cutting and shaping the settings. Fig. 4 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, through 4 4 of Fig. 1, showing the bur formation produced by the cutting tools. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 1, also enlarged, showing the location of the bur on the tinished setting. Fig. 6 represents a top plan view, corresponding somewhat with Fig. 1, showing the usual way of perforating the stock or cutting away the waste and leaving the connected strip of-blanks and settings. Figs. 7 and 8 represent the forms of the thus cut away stock, and Fig. 9 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on line 9 9 of Fig. 6, corresponding with Fig. 4, showing the bur formation produced by the cutting tools.

The following is a more detailed description of the means employed and the method of producing continuous lengths of connected cup-shaped gem-settings from narrow strips of bendable thin sheet-metal stock.

. I would state here that in practice the stock is fed or advanced so as to be acted upon by the tools in a step-by-step or inter mittent manner, the length of each feed being that of one unit, blank or setting. The forming plunger is set or positioned in advance of the cutting plunger a multiple of the feed action; in the drawings such intervening distance equals six feeding movements. It is of course understood that the movements or action of the thus separated cutting and forming plungers upon the stock occur concurrently or simultaneously.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 3 of the drawings, and assuming that the holders 0* and n carrying the cutting and forming plungers 0 and n respectivel are mounted in a press and being vertical y reciprocated as usual, the narrow strip a of first inserted between the a suitable sheet-metal stock Cgsee- Fig. 1) is jacent faces of a pair of adjusted feed-rolls r 1' adapted to be intermittingly rotated in any well-known way, the result bein to advance the free end of the stock ant position it upon the then elevated sprin -pressed stationary cutter-plate m; the ownward movement of the cutting-plunger to its limit operates to simultaneously cut or shear the blank 0, including its four points or prongs a and about one-half of the len 11 of the narrow tie or brid e f, from the stock thus forcing the blank downward and completely severing it from the parent stock, except at the rear end 7" of the back tie, see Fig. 3. The Wings 0 of the plunger 0 produce the said prongs. In order to avoid severing the ties from each other and from the stock the outer ends of the corresponding face of the plunger are curved upward, as shown at 0 Upon the upward return stroke of the plun ger the s rmg s presses the cutter-plate m and the b ank 0 upward a short distance, or until arrested by the bottom stop 8 secured to the shank m movably mounted in the stationary holder m. In thus cutting the blank its upper marginal edge will be left slightly roughened or burred, as indicated, enlarged, at 0 Fig. 4, by the shearing action of the cutting-plunger 0. The formingplunger n moves simultaneously with the plunger 0 and works idly until the stock ceding operation causes the first-produced blank to coincide or register with the forward fixed die or matrix n formed in the base member n; the next stroke of the press forces the lunger n downward into engagement wlth the blank and presses it into the die cavity 71 thereby converting the blank into the practically completed cupsetting it having upwardly extending beveled side walls, its points 0 also being pressed upward, thus causing the said roughened or burred part to lie on the inner portion of the settmgs edge, as indicated, en-

.larged and exaggerated at'c Fig. 5. At the same time too the rear plunger 0 will cut a blank, as before stated. The continued conjoint action of the plungers, &c., will convert the strip of stock a into a corresponding bendable strip or length of integrally connected settings it united by the narrow alining central ties f. .The 'uide member 9 serves to maintain the strip in the normal position at thecutting plun er; a springpressed clearer n is employe to automatically press the adjacent portion of the shaped strip from the die 11. immediately following the upward movement of the swaging lunger n and prior to the next succeeding eed action. After cutting the connected series of blanks a from the strip of material there will remain only the two continuous side or marginal strips 6 b of waste stock,

see Fig. 2, wherein d and 01 indicate the spaces or openings produced by the removal of the corresponding members a 0 of the blanks, the spaces f corresponding with the removed tie portions f.

In the former process of producing a stri of connected settmgs the free end of the stoclf a (Fig. 6) is first advanced by the feed action, followed by cutting out by the downward movement of suitable punches or tools the two pieces of waste, 10 Fig. 7, leaving the corresponding perforations w to, at the next feed movement the said cutting operation is repeatedwvhile at the same time two other oppositely arranged punches cut away the intervening margmal stock. w, Fig. 8, represents the form of these waste pieces and the dotted lines at 'w the corresponding perforations, thus leaving a blank at having prongs a and the central tie t. After repeating the foregoing operations, say four times, the first one of the connected blanks u will be positioned under a swaging or forming plunger, as n before described, which operates to transform the blank into a cupshaped setting e having prongs 12 Fig. 6, similar to the said pronged setting it. In this last described operation the two pairs of cutting dies which produce the Waste pieces to 'w and the swaging plunger for shaping the setting work simultaneously. It will be seen that instead of punching the blank from the stock, excepting always the tie portion, the waste itself is completely punched or cut out, see Fig, 9, the action of the cutters being to produce a roughness or bur on the underside of the marglnal edge of the blank, as indicated at a When the blank is converted into the setting 4) the said burred part will lie on the outer surface of the then upper marginal edge, the burred portion also extending along the outer edges of the prongs '0 i What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent,

1. The improved method of manufacturing strips of continuously connected gemsettings in a step-by-step manner, the same consisting in feeding or advancing the strip of stock, then punching or cutting a substantially complete blank downward from but connected by a tie to the body part of the stock so thatthe marginal waste will lie in a plane somewhat above the blank, and at the same time transforming a previously produced and longitudinally connected blank of the strip into a cup-shaped em-setting, and then moving the thus trans ormed portion into positionpreparatory to the next feeding step, and continuing the said operations intermittingly throughout the length of the stock.

2. The herein described improved method of manufacturing a strip of continuously connected gem-settings, which consists in positioning the stock with relation to the cut ting and shaping tools, then completely punching or cutting and pressing downward at one operation a pronged flat blank from the stock except at a narrow point along the center or median line where it remains connected to the parent stock, the rough or burred part produced by the said punching operation then being on the upper edge, and at the same time transforming an advanced previously out and connected blank of the strip into a cup-shaped gem-setting so that the said burred part will lie on the upper inner edge of the setting, and then moving the thus transformed portion upward preparatory to repositioning the stock and repeating the above described process.

3. The improved step in the method of manufacturing a strip of continuously connected gem-settings, which consists in punclr ing or shearing the setting blanks downwardly from a correspondingly continuous narrow strip or ribbon of stock thereby producing a rough or burred part on the upper edges of the blanks and a correspondingly burred part on the adjacent lower edges of the scrap or Waste stock.

WILLIAM VVHYTOCK, Jn.

\Vitnesses THOMAS F. FARRELL, EDWARD N.; CASEY. 

